More support needed for ethnic minority children with special needs, charity says
A non-profit children’s education organisation in Hong Kong has urged the government to expand support services for preschool-aged ethnic minority children with special needs to more districts, after a pilot project found that 95 per cent of participants showed improvement. Heep Hong Society said on Sunday that many ethnic minority families faced multiple barriers when seeking support for…
The Heep Hong Society, a non-profit children's education organisation in Hong Kong, has called for expanded support services for preschool-aged ethnic minority children with special needs across more districts. The charity's pilot project, Project Embrace, found that 95 percent of participants showed improvement, but many families face multiple barriers, including language difficulties, financial constraints, and cultural stigma, when seeking support.
According to the Education Bureau, early identification of special educational needs is crucial for timely intervention and support, and children must have a diagnosis to attend government-funded Early Education and Training Centres or Special Child Care Centres. In the 2025-26 school year, the number of non-Chinese-speaking children receiving preschool rehabilitation services through such centres increased from 741 in 2023-24 to 968.
Dr Kwok Chun-chuen, deputy chief executive officer for services at Heep Hong Society, highlighted the additional challenges faced by ethnic minority families due to language barriers and lack of information.
Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
